Top 3 Alternatives To Discord You Should Try In 2024
Discord’s recent decision to integrate ads into the platform has made many headlines, considering the company refrained from integrating them for several years. While Discord says it will allow users to disable these ads, it could lock the feature behind the Nitro subscription, profiting from both paying and non-paying users. Therefore, if you can’t afford to stare at ads while talking to your loved ones, here are three Discord alternatives you should try out –
| App Name | What we liked | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| TeamSpeak | It offers customizable servers with low-latency voice communication and encryption. | $0.99 on iOS/Android, Free on Windows/macOS/Linux |
| Element | It provides secure conversation with a suite of tools and is based on the Matrix protocol. | Free/Pro for $2 per month |
| Steam Chat | Offers Discord-like features but lacks file-sharing capabilities. | Free |
1. TeamSpeak
Before Discord became one of the most popular social media platforms, TeamSpeak dominated the gaming space. However, its outdated design and confusing features gave way for Discord to take over. Nevertheless, TeamSpeak has completely rebranded itself, and it is perhaps one of the best alternatives to the platform.
To get things started, TeamSpeak enables users to create their servers and extend invitations to others. Moreover, the platform utilizes the Opus codec for low-latency voice communication, ensuring conversation quality comparable to Discord.
Furthermore, TeamSpeak’s use of end-to-end encryption using AES and the fact that chats are stored within dedicated servers position the app as a great alternative to Discord. However, it is important to note that, unlike Discord, TeamSpeak charges for creating multiple servers and accommodating large user bases.
| What we like | What we didn’t like |
|---|---|
| Great Audio and Video Quality | Difficult to set up |
| Discord-like UI | Limited options in the free version |
| End-to-end encryption |
2. Element
If you don’t like the gaming-centric aesthetic of Discord or TeamSpeak, then Element could be a great alternative. The app not only ensures secure conversation with end-to-end encryption but also offers a suite of tools such as video calls and file sharing within groups of any size. Additionally, it’s the only platform on this list built on the Matrix open communications protocol.
However, you may wonder what the Matrix open communications protocol means. The standard is an open communication protocol, enabling real-time conversation between service providers. This means that if you already use other Matrix apps, you can seamlessly access conversations within Element as well.
| What we like | What we didn’t like |
|---|---|
| Simple UI | Complex onboarding process |
| End-to-end encryption | |
| No file transfer limit, and clean calls | |
| Matrix ecosystem |
3. Steam Chat
Steam is perhaps the most well-known games store, with over 132 million monthly active users. However, unknown to many, its Steam Chat could serve as a great alternative to Discord. The platform offers Discord-like features such as making groups, messaging, voice/video calling, and even noise reduction.
Moreover, users can appoint moderators to groups to uphold message guidelines and share group links akin to Discord. One of Steam Chat’s strongest appeals lies in its user base; virtually every gamer has Steam installed, simplifying the transition to Steam Chat. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that the service lacks a file-sharing feature, limiting users to image-sharing only.
| What we like | What we didn’t like |
|---|---|
| The switching process is simple | It does not include a file-sharing feature |
| Clean video calls with noise reduction | |
| Simple to use |
